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just_a_touch_of_bibliomania's review against another edition
5.0
This beautiful book has sat on my shelf for years because I wanted it to be exactly what I hoped it was and wasn't ready to be disappointed. I have finally read it and I wasn't disappointed at all.
This type of slow burn fantasy is my cup of tea. The writing is so lovely and precise, that in such a short novel McKillip was still able to create a full, lush world full of interesting characters that I cared for and magic that didnt need a complex explanation for the why's and how's.
It was simply an immersive, dark story that felt such like a fairytale. I'm already counting Patricia A. McKillip as an auto-buy author and am adding some more of her stories to my thriftbooks wishlist ❤
This type of slow burn fantasy is my cup of tea. The writing is so lovely and precise, that in such a short novel McKillip was still able to create a full, lush world full of interesting characters that I cared for and magic that didnt need a complex explanation for the why's and how's.
It was simply an immersive, dark story that felt such like a fairytale. I'm already counting Patricia A. McKillip as an auto-buy author and am adding some more of her stories to my thriftbooks wishlist ❤
wendylioness's review against another edition
4.0
I won't give away the plot for those of you who want to be surprised. (: This is a 200 page story about a few elements consisting of sorrow, truth, and guilt. I understood the points of the book better when I finished it, so I may have to go back and read the book again sometime. The writing was descriptive, a little hard to understand in two or three little places, but beautiful. The ending was satisfying enough, realistic and healing.
Overall the story had a mystery and uniqueness about it, having a bit of a fairy-tale flavor.
This book invites us to think, if we're willing to, of quite a few things. But I want you to discover them yourself, as a journeyer through a story.
I like the character interactions, and near the end one of them made me grin.
It's a little sad but there is healing as well.
Now I'm off to read Les Miserables, The Book of Three, or the Canterbury Tales. Not sure which one yet.
Overall the story had a mystery and uniqueness about it, having a bit of a fairy-tale flavor.
This book invites us to think, if we're willing to, of quite a few things. But I want you to discover them yourself, as a journeyer through a story.
I like the character interactions, and near the end one of them made me grin.
It's a little sad but there is healing as well.
Now I'm off to read Les Miserables, The Book of Three, or the Canterbury Tales. Not sure which one yet.
primavera's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
d_tod_davis's review against another edition
4.0
As usual, the eloquence of McKillip's prose is a treat and there's real magic in the way she writes. It's delicate yet substantial, economically plotted, and strongly atmospheric bit if spell weaving she does with this novel. Always a worthwhile read, McKillip, and this one is particularly good.
linluvsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
beautifully written and crafted. sometimes the story didn't grab me the way I felt it should because it was so beautiful, I focused on admiring the story instead of immersing in the story.
the_discworldian's review against another edition
2.0
1) Oh, do shut up about the "lenses."
2) Memo to Queen of the Wood: maybe you should have named your child something not homonymous with an emotion. Could have saved everyone some time and trouble.
Bottom line: I didn't care about any of the characters, except for Saro, and her only in the second half of the book. 0 feelings of enchantment. No 247-page fairy tale should be such a slog. Thank you and good night.
2) Memo to Queen of the Wood: maybe you should have named your child something not homonymous with an emotion. Could have saved everyone some time and trouble.
Bottom line: I didn't care about any of the characters, except for Saro, and her only in the second half of the book. 0 feelings of enchantment. No 247-page fairy tale should be such a slog. Thank you and good night.
allisonwonder_land's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
dandelionfluff's review against another edition
4.0
Still no denying that McKillip has a fantastic way of weaving a story. Brief plot summary:
I will say that the more I read her work, the more I'm realizing she rather enjoys certain elements and sticks to them. Also noticing how her world-building doesn't exactly rely on the reader having a concrete understanding of where we are-- Pelucir and Chaumenard? They sound pretty, but you only have a vague understanding of where they are or their functions in a presumably larger world. What matters most are the smaller, more intimate parts of these names: the mage's school, Pelucir's castle, the Wood, and so forth. The larger world is just a backdrop for these specific places.
What I absolutely enjoy is her concept of magic. It can be taught, it can be understood, but it involves such transcendence. They can use objects and words to summon powers, as we might expect, but a mage can also melt into shadow and become a thread of light. They can understand what it is to be stone, or flower, or bird. There's simply no separation from the natural world if they have the means. The fantastic part is that the reader has to bend their mind to try and understand just what it might be like to shift into an oak's shadow, or melt with wax. That's magic.
But as I was saying before, McKillip enjoys certain storytelling elements, and isn't afraid to keep exploring them. Like [b:Alphabet of Thorn|81075|Alphabet of Thorn|Patricia A. McKillip|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1462179300s/81075.jpg|78274] (which came after this one, but I read that first), we have a powerful book, written in a strange and dangerous way, that contains magic unknown to most. This becomes the central object of the story. The book is a catalyst in a few ways, constantly reinforcing that words are never simple, and never without power. (Might seem heavy-handed, but it's true, isn't it?)
What I enjoy about her writing is that we don't usually (in my experience so far) have one main character; several people are linked together and must be followed for the reader to have a greater understanding of the plot. Here it is Prince Talis of Pelucir, the mage Atrix Wolfe, and the kitchen girl Saro. A neat and tidy group of three who all move through their own stories, who all grow as people. I do wish Saro was a bit more developed, though-- it seems we miss a great deal of her growing up, but, with her condition, maybe we're just not meant to. And do we ever really know how the book made its way out of stone? I honestly don't remember.
But that aside, it's another book to add to my shelves, to remember fondly and also learn from for my own storytelling.
Spoiler
The tale begins with the great mage Atrix Wolfe receiving a vision of a war breaking its way into his home of Chaumenard. In an effort to prevent this, he travels to Pelucir where the invading army has forced their rulers into starvation and misery. Though Atrix tries to convince the invaders to retreat, and to leave his own home alone, he eventually decides to create something fierce enough to drive them away. In doing so, Atrix mistakenly creates terror incarnate: a dark being known as The Hunter. The battle's details are never forgotten in Pelucir or the rival kingdom, as both lose their armies and pride in one devastating night. Twenty years later, Atrix Wolfe is still presumed to be in hiding amongst the wolves. Pelucir's young Prince Talis, meanwhile, is learning magic at the mage's school, where it is revealed that no one knows who exactly brought the terrible being onto the field all those years ago. The name of Atrix Wolfe is said with awe, though no one knows where he is. During an exercise, Talis finds a mysterious book containing spells that never mean what their words say. This is revealed to be the book of Atrix Wolfe, and is the unfortunate key to summoning back The Hunter of Hunter's Field. While these mysteries unfold, a seemingly unremarkable but strange young woman works as a pot scrubber in the castle kitchens. All three are linked by the events twenty years prior, and must learn the secret to dismantling the fierce shade that hunts them all.I will say that the more I read her work, the more I'm realizing she rather enjoys certain elements and sticks to them. Also noticing how her world-building doesn't exactly rely on the reader having a concrete understanding of where we are-- Pelucir and Chaumenard? They sound pretty, but you only have a vague understanding of where they are or their functions in a presumably larger world. What matters most are the smaller, more intimate parts of these names: the mage's school, Pelucir's castle, the Wood, and so forth. The larger world is just a backdrop for these specific places.
What I absolutely enjoy is her concept of magic. It can be taught, it can be understood, but it involves such transcendence. They can use objects and words to summon powers, as we might expect, but a mage can also melt into shadow and become a thread of light. They can understand what it is to be stone, or flower, or bird. There's simply no separation from the natural world if they have the means. The fantastic part is that the reader has to bend their mind to try and understand just what it might be like to shift into an oak's shadow, or melt with wax. That's magic.
But as I was saying before, McKillip enjoys certain storytelling elements, and isn't afraid to keep exploring them. Like [b:Alphabet of Thorn|81075|Alphabet of Thorn|Patricia A. McKillip|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1462179300s/81075.jpg|78274] (which came after this one, but I read that first), we have a powerful book, written in a strange and dangerous way, that contains magic unknown to most. This becomes the central object of the story. The book is a catalyst in a few ways, constantly reinforcing that words are never simple, and never without power. (Might seem heavy-handed, but it's true, isn't it?)
What I enjoy about her writing is that we don't usually (in my experience so far) have one main character; several people are linked together and must be followed for the reader to have a greater understanding of the plot. Here it is Prince Talis of Pelucir, the mage Atrix Wolfe, and the kitchen girl Saro. A neat and tidy group of three who all move through their own stories, who all grow as people. I do wish Saro was a bit more developed, though-- it seems we miss a great deal of her growing up, but, with her condition, maybe we're just not meant to. And do we ever really know how the book made its way out of stone? I honestly don't remember.
But that aside, it's another book to add to my shelves, to remember fondly and also learn from for my own storytelling.
eileenmarie's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0